Thirty years into its reform and opening, the People’s Republic of China (referred to as China) has become aware of many international practices, including corporate social responsibility (CSR). Yet FOR Chinese enterprises, CSR seems similar to the heavy social burdens of THE state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The “cradle-to-grave” welfare system, notorious but standard in THE planned economy, played a role in the failure of most SOEs to compete with the new, burgeoning private sector. Although laws were promulgated to free the SOEs from their “social burdens,” the new township enterprises set a different example. Some of the latter even profited from their “social ventures.” A comparison of the approach of the state sector and that of township enterprises sheds light on how MNCs can best tailor their CSR strategies to the Chinese situation
